Buckwheat and Pomegranate Salad
This is my take on Rick Stein's Freekeh Salad. I wanted to make his salad using more readily available ingredients. I don't know about you but I get fed up with buying odd ingredients that end up hardly get used, such as pomegranate molasses that the original recipe calls for. FYI: Freekeh is dried green wheat, harvested while the grains are still soft, then sun-dried. It's very common in the Middle East and North Africa, Buckwheat is not a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens.
Ingredients
- 200 g buckwheat
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
- 1 pomegranate, seeds only
- 1 handful flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Put a small pan of water on to boil. Once boiling, add the buckwheat. Simmer for slightly less than the packet instructions to avoid a gloopy mess. About 15 minutes.
- Drain the buckwheat and allow to cool. Then add the spring onions, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and herbs.
- Whisk the oil and vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper before mixing into the buckwheat.